The Calumny of Apelles

Description

Although he probably never met Andrea Mantegna, the Venetian painter-engraver Girolamo Mocetto nevertheless based this print on a drawing (now in the British Museum, London) by the older artist. Later, Rembrandt also copied the same drawing, and may have owned it for a time. Mocetto altered the composition by placing the scene, an allegory of calumny (or false accusation), in the Campo de Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice, with Andrea del Verrocchio’s famous equestrian monument to Bartolomeo Colleoni in the background. This print is a unique early state before final shading was added to the basilica dome.

The Calumny of Apelles

Girolamo Mocetto

1500/1506

Accession Number

15239

Medium

Engraving in black on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

31.8 × 45.7 cm (12 9/16 × 18 in.)

Classification

engraving

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Charles Greene Fund